Crush
by Lamanth
Summary: ONE SHOT – Because there's nothing quite like your first crush.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own The Fast and the Furious, Fast & Furious or any of its characters, merchandise, TV/film rites, ect… (I think you get the point.)

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><p><span>Summery <span>

ONE SHOT – Because there's nothing quite like your first crush.

"Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished and persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot." -Mark Twain

Lamb: As always sorry for any bad spelling and if you feel the need to throw things at me please wait until I've hidden behind the sofa kay!

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><p><em>It's just a little crush,<em>  
><em>Not like I faint every time we touch,<em>  
><em>It's just some little thing,<em>  
><em>Not like everything I do depends on you,<em>  
><em>It's raising my adrenaline,<em>  
><em>You're banging on a heart of tin,<em>  
><em>Please don't make too much of it baby,<em>

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><p><strong>Crush<strong>

It was true that over time Leticia Ortiz had grown from a weedy string bean, into a gangly klutz and was now turning into, as some fool at school had said before the girl in question broke his nose, one fine looking piece of ass. And he, Dominic Toretto, had been there every step of the way. Not that he'd really had much say in the matter because between his father, his sister and Letty herself the girl had become a permanent part of his life.

But just because he found her a pain didn't mean he didn't like her. She was good with cars, loved the sort of action movies that Mia refused to watch and, after he'd given her a little help, could throw a punch as good as the next guy. And, as the next guy, he'd had the bruises to prove it.

Over the years Dom had watched her grow and change, but only in a distracted sort of way. Letty was Letty and always would be. She seemed to care that she was growing up about as much as he did, and any guy that threw complements her way was just as likely to find her fist flying theirs.

Letty always had been and always would be one of the guys. She was never happier than when she was covered in greases and oil and working away under the hood of some old wreck they were trying to fix up. The look of pure delight on her face whenever his father, Antonio 'Toni' Toretto, picked her to help him work on some project or other defied description. It was why, in spite of all the shit that went down at school, it was easy to forget that Letty was a girl. She never acted like one so she never got treated as one and it was a state of affairs that suited everyone involved just fine.

That was until the day she saw the guy at the race leaning against the side of the Nissan 240SX S14.

XXXXXXXXXX

The final race of the day was over, the whole event was winding down and the three of them, Dom, Mia and Letty, had been wondering around soaking up the last of the atmosphere when 'the guy' apparently recognizing Dom had called them over. The guy, who had to beat least in his mid thirty's, said he used to know Toni and wanted to offer his congratulations because of the day's win.

Dom could not stop the scowl from twisting his face when the guy smiled a little too friendly at Mia, but was happy that his sister showed no interest. The girl had a smart head on her shoulders, and people were probably right when they said that he was the brawn and she was the brains of the Toretto clan.

But then the guy's eyes shifted to Letty and if it were at all possible his smile widened further. In all fairness since she had hit fifteen, and puberty had really taken its hold on her, more and more male attention was being directed Letty's way and in a purely big brother way it was getting on Dom's nerves. So when the guy uttered some crap about how pit crews were getting prettier by the day it was just more of the same old shit he heard all the time.

Dom managed to turn his laugh into a cough and turned to give the girl in question a 'is this guy full of it or what' look only to find Letty shuffling her feet and looking shyly at the guy from under lowered lashes. And, he did a double take, was that a light blush that was staining her cheeks? He didn't understand why Letty, of all people, would have reacted to something as stupid as that. After all just a few days ago his dad had said she had the makings of a real mechanic and that was a far better compliment.

It was odd, more than that, it was down right freaky and for the duration of the conversation Letty continued to stare fixedly at the guy leaning so casually against his car. Within a few moments farewells were exchanged and, after eliciting a promise from them to say hi to Toni from him he left.

The trio moved off, heading for the place they had agreed to meet Toretto senior, Mia chatting away while Dom nodded in vague agreement. His attention for the most part though was on Letty, who kept looking back over her shoulder to watch as the guy got into his car and drove off. Her dark eyes remained fixed on the Nissan 240SX S14 until it was lost to sight.

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Things quickly settled back into there routine and by the time a few weeks had passed everything was just the same as it had always been. There had been the high that always followed any race followed by the inevitable return to reality and Dom had all but forgotten Letty's strange behavior at the race. Almost that is, but where as everything else was the same as it ever was, the latina was different. She seemed preoccupied and would get easily distracted at the worst possible times. Even when working at the garage she couldn't seem to keep her mind on any one thing for more than a few minuets.

It was like trying to work with someone who was sleepwalking. Sure they looked like they knew what they were doing but turn your back for just one second and they were about to take a stroll out of a third floor window. And gradually things were starting to get worse. Indeed it was getting to the point where even Vince, who deliberately didn't pay much attention to Letty unless she was hitting him up side the head, could tell something was up.

When, at the traditional Toretto BBQ, Letty just waved her hand and said she wasn't hungry Vince had near enough passed out from shock. Mia had stuffed her fist in her mouth in an effort to silence her giggles and Toni had had this look on his face that made it quite clear he, like Mia, knew what was up with the dark haired girl. Dom had just sat there just as stunned as his best friend, but hopefully not looking it, and determined to ask his father just what the hell was going on.

And the answer he got was not the one he had expected. Nor was it one he liked.

"I remember you were just the same, couldn't focuses or keep your mind on anything for more than two seconds in a row." He smirked at the partly confused, partly indignant look on his eighteen-year-old son's face. "Letty's got her first crush Dom, simple as that. For the first time in her life she thinks she in love."

He didn't believe it. Letty and crush. You couldn't fit the two things together even if you tried to use a crowbar. Crushes were silly little things that girls got and Letty was, well she was Letty end of story. Not a girl, just Letty.

A few days later the diary appeared for the first time.

XXXXXXXXXX

The book had this to be said for it, it was such a dark purple that it was almost back in colour and didn't have anything fluffy or girly about it. But the bad news was the thing was never out of Letty's sight and she spent her every free minuet writing or doodling in it. All that he could have taken but it was the look on her face that really got to Dom. She would wear this contented half smile, occasionally nibbling at the end of her pen while she gazed lovingly down at whatever page she was writing on.

He didn't want to believe what his father had told him but the more time that passed the more he was forced to admit that he was probably right. And it was a fact that irritated him for reasons he couldn't quite work out. It wasn't that he minded Letty showing an interest in someone. What got to him so much was that the guy in question was a lot older, he was also a sleazy little shit and on top of that Letty had only seen him for about five minuets. Also, and this was one of the things that really got to Dom, he had somewhat questionable taste in cars, Letty should have known better.

There was also a small voice in the back of Dom's head, the one he had been trying very hard to ignore for the past six months, that said he should have been Letty's first crush. It was the same voice that had been pointing out that Letty wasn't a kid anymore she was growing up and that he should take a look and see just how much. It said that he had been such a big part of her life for so long that it was only right, it was only natural that he should have been the object of her attention. But that wasn't how things had worked out and in some inexplicable way he felt cheated. Letty was his… his… well in truth he didn't know what she was but whatever it was it was his.

And no random perv at a race meet had the right to take that away from him. Damn it.

XXXXXXXXXX

She was on her brake, curled into one corner of the battered couch and the diary was in her hands. Letty's face sported the same half-dreaming look that Dom had grown to hate over the past few weeks while she absentmindedly twirled a pen in her free hand.

"Got ya." There was a triumphant yell and the book was snatched out of her hands and the pen sent tumbling to the floor.

"No!" Letty was off the sofa in a flash, her eyes wild and her lips pulled back in a snarl of pure fury. "Dom give it back!"

"What's the magic word chica?" He taunted, holding the book high out of her reach with one hand while fending her off with the other.

"Now, Dominic!" The latina all but shirked as she lunged for him and only his quick reflexes saved him from a right hook to the jaw. "The word is Now!"

"Nope, try again chica." Dom smirked and briefly waved the book in front of her face before quickly jerking it out of reach once again.

"Cabrón!" Letty howled with rage as she snatched for the book once again and again failed to retrieve it. "It's personal, now give it."

"No way. Something's up with you and I'm gonna find out what one way or another." The look on his face could only be described as mulish. "And if this is the only way then that's how it's gonna be. Also, as you very well know, my parents were married so I can't be a bastard, can I."

"Dom… don't." Her brow furrowed and she crossed her arm over her chest in the classic 'Letty on the defensive' stance, and growled low in the back of her throat when he took no notice. "I hate you."

Dom just smirked at her and opened the book to a random page. He felt his eyes widen as he took in what he was seeing and his mouth fell open as shock took hold of him. His father had been right but so had he. It was all wrong really because the world shouldn't work like that, girls shouldn't work like that. But that was the whole point, this wasn't just some random girl this was Letty and that made all the difference.

And that was what he had been missing the whole time. It should have been wrong but it wasn't it was right because it was her and with the tempestuous little latina it was how things should be. Everything suddenly made sense, Letty staring longing at the guy leaning against the car. The web pages she would close down before anyone else could see them.

He looked across at her, her face set in an expression of wary defiance and he had to laugh at how thick he had been. It all made perfect sense when he remembered that this was Letty.

"It's not funny." The words were spat out as the evident embarrassment she was causing her only served to make the teen even more temperamental the normal.

"Really?" Dom drawled as he once again scanned the page, the name and the list of everything she wanted. There were even a few rough artwork sketches, not bad work either, he had to admit the girl had talent.

"Dom." She held out her hand for the book, and since her secret was now out in the open he handed it over with out a second thought. She promptly smacked him in the shoulder with it. Hard.

"Damn it," Dom briefly rubbed the spot she'd hit, in a couple of hours they'd be a bruise, before waving a chastising finger at her. "You better learn to play nice or you can kiss my help goodbye."

"Your help?" Letty queried warily, but hit him again with the book just because it had made her feel so much better the first time. Violence might not solve anything but it sure was a good stress reliever. "Why would you help me?"

"Well ya see Lett, the thing is, that while you might be a royal pain in the ass," He threw an arm around her shoulders and started towing her towards the office. "You're my pain in the ass."

"Oh." Her nose wrinkled slightly as she tried to work out how that statement made her feel, which was more than a tad confused. Instinctively she hated the thought of being anyone's anything, being viewed as an object really rubbed against the grain, but on the other hand it was Dom and that just complicated everything.

"Just do me a favour and the next time you start getting all hot and bothered over a car give me a heads up." His look of sincerity morphed into a contemptuous smirk as he continued. "And if you could maybe go for something that isn't a heap of junk…"

"Hey!" Letty yelled and pulled away enough to whack him on the shoulder again. Third time lucky and all that. "There's nothing wrong with my baby, and it's not like your taste is anything to brag about."

"Whatever chica," Dom rolled his eyes at her dismissivly, truth be told it wasn't a bad make or model, but he just couldn't let the girl have it all her own way. His pride wouldn't let him. "At least I'm not getting all bent out of shape about some God damn Nissan 240SX."

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><p>Please R and R I'd love to know what you thought.<p>

Big love and inspiration

Lamanth


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